A wonderful K-Drama for Hallyu beginners!
Just finished Cinderella and the Four Knights on Viki.Not sure why it took me so long to see this as I absolutely loved it. Perfect to recommend to a K-Drama beginner.
A fairly light-hearted, character driven romantic comedy that belongs in the "flower boy" subgenre of romantic comedies. It reminded me a lot of Boys Over Flowers and Heirs. If you loved those shows, you'll love this one also.
The magic of the show lies in the chemistry of the main and supporting characters. Park So-Dam's character is among the most lovable characters you'll ever see in a K-Drama. The show is beautifully shot and its memorable soundtrack deserves a spot in the all-time top 10 or 20 list of any K-Drama fan.
Highest recommendations!
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If I had to speak more honestly, it is true that this drama is pretty childish. BUT sometimes when you watch too many heavy and intense dramas, the lightweighted and no-brainer ones turn out to be enjoyable in order to take a break from the heavy-plot preferences.
I mainly loved the female protagonist. Her character was really different from the usual nosy and annoying female characters in other cliche romcoms. She was strong, likable and if I myself was one of the Kang brothers, I'd definitely fall for her too. There's this strong and intense love 'square' throughout the drama and I must say this- For those who dislike love triangles or 'harems', this drama is not going to impress you a lot. I myself dislike them too but somehow this drama got me anticipating for each episodes.
So, simply saying, this romcom is a good one when it comes to mood-lifters or basically a refreshment from all those complicated dramas. It's simple, fun, the romance is cute and the story itself is a no-brainer and is definitely light-hearted. You might want to save this drama in your 'Plan To Watch' list if you haven't watched yet- in order to binge on this drama after finishing an intense drama with a tragic ending or such.
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This review may contain spoilers
Started promising, but quickly went down hill
*small spoiler warning*I was looking forward to see how this drama would unfold, especially with some of my favorite actors being in it.
The first couple of episodes, where we were introduced to the heroine and the guys, the story seemed to be really exciting and promising, and the premise was interesting.
Sadly, as episodes went by, the strong female lead, that used to quote The Art of War, that was witty, that would beat up anyone that was unjust and has an iron will, became the old rag of a woman trope, that cannot take decisions, is easily swayed and is a weak, half-person without her lead man.
I appreciated the plot twist, where the male lead was switched, I found it interesting, but it was badly set up.
The most disappointing was the character development, abysmal at best, they seemed to become less than as time went by.
The dramatic moments were flimsy and with not solid foundation.
The ending was extremely rushed, the last 3 episodes crammed in too many parallels, time became an abstract notion, where comatose patients that has just went through major surgery were popping out of bed like it was going out of fashion.
Overall, the build up for the ending was frustrating, no solid construction was given to the chairman's wife story, the secretary was done dirty, with being pushed aside to a tertiary role, after he was front and center for the first part of the show.
The antagonists were some of the most ignored characters, which made me sad, they had very little involvement in the main story and the actions were very tame, with little to no explanation given for their actions- and, when given, very poorly written.
Music was great, and cinematography was good.
The cast, sadly, could not shoulder such a bad script and a disappointing production.
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I Personally do not recommend
First of all there are no 4 knights because I don't care what other people say but the secretary doe not count. It's been a while since I've watch the show so I don't remember the details just that I hate the show. I think that there are many other dramas thats are so much better. the casting was good so was the acting but the story line... I just did not like at all.I would say skip the drama you'll save your time and would be doing yourself a favour:) I just feel a drama should have a male and female lead and at the most one love interest. I personally don't like shows where there are multiple love interests especially when the love interests and the male lead are close like friend/brothers. For example Boys Over Flowers. I know many people love love that show but not me. I believe its better when the FL is close to the ML friends thats it no more. As it shows a stronger bond and better character Development.
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Messed up second half
I started watching this drama in October, thinking that it would be light and easy to finish. I was wrong. I took several breaks and a long break at episode 10 because it started to feel heavy and repetitive.The story revolves around Eun Ha Won who is a righteous person with very strong morals (the only person I finished this drama for). She is invited to live in a big mansion by a rich chairman who wants her help to get his three grandsons closer and to decide who will be his successor.
His three grandsons are very different right from the beginning (and that is intentional). There’s the “flirter”, the popstar and the tough guy.
So, Eun Ha Won leaves the apartment where she was thrown out by her stepmother and stepsister (two actresses who did their job well by making you not be able to stand them :)) and moves into this mansion.
I liked how she tries to get these three stepsons together at the beginning, trying to make them understand what a family feels like. But the more you go into the story, the further the story drifts away from the initial storyline.
Especially after the second female lead appears, which is the “flirter’s” old flame. And I’m sorry to say this but her acting was awful, it seemed like she was only able to express two or at most three different feelings on her face…
She is almost obsessive over the flirter and is so sure of herself that he feels the same way as her and that they’ll get back together.
This goes on for too many episodes and it’s painful to watch because it seems so unnatural and like her only reason to be in the drama is so that the boys have something to fight over (because she is also the tough boy’s friend).
If they had kept the same story direction from the start, it might have been a better drama. But the way they made it it’s just a confusing story with unnecessarily many twists and turns from the second half of the drama onwards that make it impossible to see the three brothers really get closer and the relationships between the FL and the brothers develop. (Also, the popstar really does feel like a half outcast…)
I will not rewatch this but I hope I was able to convey my feelings in all sincerity.
The actors really weren’t the problem as much as the squiggly storyline.
Thanks for reading :)
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Storywise, it was ok if not a bit predictable. I never took this drama very seriously but it's a nice bubblgum type show. I really like the melo parts and Eun Ha Won's predicatments but some parts seemed to drag on a little bit and I found myself skipping some scenes.
The acting was amazing except I found Park So Dam's acting was a bit stiff compared to the others and her character was extremely childish. And I loved Choi Min Sung!
For me, this drama was average but what made this drama deserve a 8.5/10 in my book was the ending. It was perfect, not rushed, and there were no loose ends. And it added more depth to the story overall.
I'd recommend this to someone who just wanted to watch a fun drama with not too many expectations, just you have to stick it out when it gets slow to really appreciate the ending.
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This review may contain spoilers
I didn’t like this I tried to continue to watch it and then finally just skipped to the last episode because I knew she was falling for ji woon which wasn’t like a problem problem and I had a feeling that was going to happened in the beginning but I still had hope for Seo woo who was my favorite he was usually always there for her they had a little background together with getting there phones mixed up but it never happened which sucked to me and as far as Hye Ji she completely annoyed me the entire time I seen her in a episode like get over Hyun Min it’s been 10 years you said alright move on hello why you sticking to that childhood crap we all have crushes and think we love someone we close to but she just stayed in the past way to much and it just was annoying I feel like they forced that relationship and in the end she got what she wanted like what??? Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I am not a fan of this cheesy, fairy-tale-like kind of dramas but I do love some dose of romance. This is why at episode 3, while trying to understand what propelled me to continue watching this drama, I also started thinking what did I want to change in order for it to actually be a drama that I would enjoy watching because of the characters and not because of the stupid reverse harem kind of fresh storyline. First of all, Eun HaWon is a pretty okay character. I felt bad for her and at the same time cheered for me, and was proud of her and she let me feel ashamed of how actually a person can be so greedy, while she just enjoying the little she had and never put her head down. Eun HaWon, in another setting wouldn't have worked. She is confident, nice and feisty, but especially strong. I liked Eun HaWon and honestly she was a refreshing sight in terms of female leads. On the other hand, the rest, just kind of passes by. So much potential wasted, it's crazy. But, the thing that makes me go crazy is definitely the treatment the writers had for SeoWoo. Honestly, nice guy, has a knack for music, knows how to cook, has a little perfectionist side and a cute smile? But no, we just make him dirty, because well, we need a character to be in love with the female lead but that could never have her because she is of course in love with someone else. And the way he humiliated himself just for her not to take the toll? Girl, if you don't want him, I'll take him. SeoWoo was a surprise, and I honestly thought that maybe, they could have something else for him, but apparently not.
Onto other matters, Lee YoonSung. Please, he was the cutest guy in the whole drama, and just didn't fit into the drama whatsoever. I wish we could see him being a male lead in a better drama next time. Getting to the REAL triangle in this whole mess. I must admit that I cheered for HyunMin since the beginning. HyunMin is just lost in his own little world, where he blames himself for everything and where everyone just leaves him, and then suddenly he meets someone he genuinely likes a person, for the first time in a while, just for her being a person and this whole thing, which could have been more developed if only they didn't want HyunMin to be a fake second lead for a while, just goes by with a confession and them kinda being friends, and then ignoring each other most of the time. I don't understand why did they did not show how HyunMin grows, a growth that is due to HaWon, in terms of person. HyunMin seems to snap out of his habits and just return to be warm after HaWon, but all of this gets trashed for Parl HyeJi, and him toying with her. As for Park HyeJi, I am so angry with the writers. She is a passive person, in love with someone, or more obsessed, for more than 10 years, she literally just cries. She has no backbone and her character just feels fake and forces. God, do you have any dignity left girl? Please, I hate to see her just throwing herself to a guy that clearly does not want her and then just adjusting this whole non sense into him being actually in-love with her for years but blaming himself for the death of her brother. Wow, never saw so much trashed piled up altogether and ruining a character. I am so sorry, HyunMin. I am sorry as well for JiWoon. JiWoon,was not a disappointment, but a bit more. His passion for cars/motors? Absolutely useless (same as HyeJi being a designer). His friends? Never saw them again. The overprotective older brother character to HyeJi was overbearing and cliche, tiring and forced. Did he have actual feelings for her? And why the whole I-am-tired-of-you-so-lemme-switch-to-your-cousin trope? Absolutely daunting. JiWoon could have been the treasure of the show, but he was just the typical tsundere that has cute moments. Very, very sad.
The romance was okay, I guess. They were cute, cringey and romantic. But I gueas that's what you can expect of this kind of drama. I did like some episodes, the way characters reacted, but in the end, the whole plot just feels fake, with fixed cliches that have no window of expiration in this drama, and a few forced scenes. YoonSung and SeoWoo, you deserved better.
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Nostalgic, but not my cup of tea.
Cinderella and the Four Knights is cliche as you'll get to be honest, given the name and all. I didn't hate it, but it wouldn't be on my top 10. I liked all the cutesy scenes in it, and when I first watched it the love triangles messed with me a lot! Poor girl, a bunch or rich guys the monets to come with. The chick you'll hate and the second lead you'll love almost more than the main lead himself. This drama did start off pretty well, but went downhill from around episode 7-8ish. Very predictable.The actors were nicely chosen for this type of drama, but even tghough they tried hard to give the character justice, it didn't really work out. Not saying the characters were completely terrible, they just weren't as good as they could've been.
The OST's were nice.
I wouldn't rewatch this drama because It would be a waste of my time. If you're looking for something light to watch in the background, this could do.
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Bad story line, bad acting
I am profoundly disappointed, the leading actors / actresses have talents but they performed so poorly in this "Cinderella and the Four Knights" K-Drama series. I only tolerate "Cinderella and the Four Knights" when High Schooler Eun Ha Won and Cousin Kang Ji Woon / Han Ji Woon characters are smiling, their smiles brighten the screen. However, there are no on-screen chemistry at all for all characters in this poorly written story. Cousin Kang Hyun Min character is the heir of Chairman Kang, but he does not even work and only lounges in the Sky House and dating / dumping girls. What a complete loser. I love the younger cousin Kang Seo Woo that is productive as a singer and composes songs. I am so disheartened when cousin Kang Ji Woon stops working as a mechanic and looks so idle for the rest of the series. Hoping to see these promising actors/actress with strong talent to be in well written K-dramas series next time.Was this review helpful to you?
Great starter show for those who are new to K-RomCom
One of my favorite actors stars in this. Jung Il Woo, who is also in Sweet Munchies, is who really started me on Korean tv and movies. Since than I've watched everything I could with him in it. Tho the story is a familiar one the twist gives it a new dimension. I think this is an excellent starter for newbies or even for those familiar with Korean tv shows because of the base story being easily followed because who doesn't know the story of cinderella. I also love how the female lead isn't too girly, she can handle her own.Was this review helpful to you?
